Force Early Leader At Bandimere

Funny Car champion John Force cashed-in one of his perks as season-long points-leader at Bandimere Speedway Friday evening, emerging as provisional pole-sitter over Del Worsham for the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

Force powered his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang to a 4.191-second run at 296.76 mph to move into position to claim his fifth No. 1 at this event, fourth of the season and 135th of his career. Qualifying continues Saturday with two sessions that will set the field for Sunday’s eliminations.

Force and Worsham, driver of the Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Camry, matched elapsed times at 4.191-seconds. But Force grabbed the provisional top spot based upon his mile per hour advantage of 296.76 vs. Worsham’s 294.75.

“Coming into this race and being low-qualifier along with being No. 1 in the points puts me and Robert (Hight) at the rear of the pack,” said Force, referring to his John Force Racing teammate. “It allows us to watch the rest. On that run that put us low we were at the rear of the pack. We saw Worsham step-up and run that great number. That was a 4.19 on ‘The Hill.’ We have done it before but we’re just off right now. Then I went out and did it and got it by speed.”

Running in the final pair of the first session, Force covered the 1,000-foot racing surface in Morrison, Colo., in 4.401-seconds. At a track closer to sea level the time would most likely not have carried over as a top-12 effort. But competing in the mile-high elevation near Denver, Force cashed-in three qualifying bonus points for quickest pass of the session.

“We really held it back on that first run,” said Force, a 14-time world champion. “We wanted to see what would happen. I was at half-track and thinking, ‘This is almost embarrassing.’ That’s what the crew chiefs are making decisions for. It’s very critical to get down there.”

Force ended the day with six qualifying bonus points as the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series cranked-up for the third and final event of the annual summertime Western Swing. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were provisional qualifying leaders.

Brown, the defending event winner, paced Top Fuel at 3.961-seconds at 286.19 mph in his Matco Tools Dragster fielded by Don Schumacher Racing.

“The conditions out here are really good and the track is really good,” Brown said. “(Saturday) is going to be really interesting because it’s going to be cool, and I don’t think the 0.96 is going to hold. We were No. 1 last year on Saturday with an 0.86, so it’s definitely out there. We’ve just got to get the power level right and get the car hooked-up.”

Johnson, the defending event winner who has advanced to the last three finals at this race, was quickest in Pro Stock with a 7.020-second quarter-mile pass at 197.19 mph in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger.

“The conditions got a lot better and the track temperature was 20 degrees better so we just adjusted the gear ratio and got after it,” Johnson said. “The track is pretty awesome and we’ll adjust to it (Saturday). We’ll have work to hang onto it.”

Phillips, who won last weekend at Infineon Raceway at Sonoma, Calif., led the way in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a track record time of 7.308-seconds at 183.12 mph on his Racers Edge Suzuki.

“That 0.30 was a surprise (in the first session); I thought it would be around a 0.40 or 0.41,” Phillips said. “It had a decent short time and I revved it up good and got it down there. That 0.30 was impressive. It will be real fast (Saturday), so I think you’ll see some 0.20s out there in the morning.”

Morrison, Colo. _ Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, 16th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Racin’ Today – Quote from John Force

“I’m excited to see writers like Jim Pedley, John Sturbin, Rick Minter, and Bill Fleischman, guys who have written about me, working together at www.racintoday.com. The internet is huge and it is giving talented guys like these professionals a place to get their stories out to our fans and the public. The media is changing and I am excited to see writers that have covered me and all of motorsports creating a new way to get our stories to our fans. They can take motorsports journalism to the next level. I’ve dealt with these guys for over 15 years all across the country.”

“As an example of the character of these guys, when Sturbin was with the Ft. Worth Star Telegram and I was racing at the Texas Motorplex, one of my favorite tracks he showed how he is an individual who gets it. He understands the sport and the drivers. Years ago I ran my mouth at the Texas Motorplex saying I was going to go out and set a record and if I didn’t I would eat his newspaper column. Well I didn’t set the record so I went into the press room and ate his column the next day. He told before I started that I didn’t have to follow through but I told him if I say something I am going to back it up whether I win or lose. That is the kind of pro Sturbin is as well as the rest of the writers at racintoday.com are. They will write the truth whether you like it or not.”

“You better not blame something on your car because Sturbin will dig and find out whether or not it was the car or you. He gets down in the trenches, tells the truth, and he knows what he is talking about. I am excited for these writers and this new website because I have always loved the media and I know that without the media you don’t have much. You have to be able to tell your story and get it right. These guys are guys who will make sure they get it right.” - JOHN FORCE